Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Hugo Selenski update

I haven't covered Hugoland in a while. The latest is a key witness for the prosecution died.

TL: The death of a witness in the upcoming homicide trials of Hugo Selenski and Paul Weakley may create a legal tussle between prosecutors and defense attorneys.Michael S. Kerkowski, 64, the father of homicide victim Michael J. Kerkowski, died at his Dallas home Tuesday night.....During the preliminary hearing , the elder Kerkowski said Selenski bilked him out of tens of thousands of dollars, saying it was to aid the younger Kerkowski with his legal problems. Selenski once fired a bullet past the elder Kerkowski’s head, too, he said.Now, it’s likely a judge will decide if a transcript of that testimony can be used during the upcoming trials for Selenski and Weakley, said Selenski’s lead attorney, John Pike.On a related note the District Attorney's office of David Lupas dropped the ball in another case. If you remember, the escape charges against Selenski were dropped because the DA didn't file the paperwork on time despite having a year to bring them.

WILKES-BARRE– A judge dismissed an inmate’s assault charges Wednesday after an assistant district attorney failed to show up at trial to prosecute the case.William Carter, a 52-year-old inmate at the State Correctional Institution at Dallas, was scheduled to stand trial on misdemeanor charges of simple assault and terroristic threats.His jury was picked, but Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce wasn’t in court for the start of trial.Fortunately no harm was done as the man is already serving a life sentence. Which begs the question, why try someone already in jail for the rest of his life?